Repetition Is The Name Of The Game

Back in the day, when I was an active professional musician, I remember how I spent my days – rehearsing. Going over and over, repeating scales and musical phrases again and again. From sounding like a dying sea cow when I started out to having a real lovely sultry sound on the alto saxophone – This evolution was entirely down to repetition. In fact, anyone who has achieved greatness and success knows how much repetition is involved – endless! Repetition Is The Name Of The Game.

Sadly, this is where many people give up, fill their heads with negative thoughts and whoosh they stop, quit and go back to the day job. All the great artists I have met, and had the privilege to work with confess to their secret as nothing more than – practise – practise and practise.

-If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery. it wouldn’t seem wonderful at all – Michelangelo

It is a simple question of learning through doing a repeated action. Musicians, athletes, dancers, teachers, gardeners and even politicians learn their craft, gain their experience through repeated actions. Practise teaches us numerous skills and the benefits, as we continue, as we persist are attainment of knowledge.

Repeated actions may sound boring, dull, even useless to those who don’t believe in those Four Fabulous Sisters: Persistence, Consistence, Resistance and Insistence. Passion and determination will drive you to continue to pursue your goals. But those four sisters are key to achievements. We all need mentors and muses to encourage us, take us forward and move us along, upward and onward. Investing in developing greater knowledge is something all great leaders and successful people do. All learning starts with observation, imitation and then repetition. As Tony Robbins says; repetition is the mother of skill.

-Repetition is not failure, ask the waves, ask the leaves and ask the wind – Mark Nepo

Here is a blog post about rehearsal methods, with a video containing 3 essential exercises to show you how to overcomedoubts, dislikes and fears about repeated actions.

Remember that anything you want to achieve in this life will need a repetitive action. While you are learning you repeat the process to become more skilled. To achieve greater skills you practise some more, because learning is a curve!

I am always learning new skills and polishing up acquired ones. I have mentors and muses I admire and turn to them for more knowledge and learning. Sharing our knowledge and investing in ourselves are the two most beneficial ways to succeed and move upwards. Pop on over to my work with me page and have a good read of the learning I am offering.You can also schedule a complimentary chat with me, just click below.

Next week, I shall be celebrating the 100th Blog Post and shall be making a special offer to YOU my loyal reader.

Comments

Beautifully written, as always…Sound advice, as always…You must want to shake the dust from lazy ‘performers’ Georgia. (The ones with lots of little elephants in their houses…) ONE I can deal with! As always, onwards…

Congratulations for your 99th and excellent blog post. I enjoyed reading all of them, and I learned a lot. Yes, I repeatedly read those gems. This last one has inspired a few analogies!!! Eg.
When we are climbing a long flights of stairs, it looks like we repeat every step again and again, yet always we are moving higher and higher. Or our heart is repeatedly pumping the blood around and around in our oxygen hungry body, which keeps us alive day after day, year after year. Repetition doesn’t necessarily have to turn us into robots. Every repeated action is enriched by the previous experiences. Like the same point on a turning wheel on our vehicles, it returns to the same position, further from the previous cycle. I wish you strength and stamina for the next hundred blogs. Meanwhile I return to read them always at higher level of wisdom. Thank you for your consistency and persistence.